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LIFE & LEISURE
| 42 | ISSUE 574 JULY 2015
According to his own biography, Ross Wilson
is probably the only person in Australian rock
music who can’t make a comeback, simply
because he’s never been away.
Words by Rachel Morgenbesser
STILL COOL,
STILL ROCKIN’
L
ongevity is rare
in today’s music
scene, and with a
career spanning
over 40 years, both
on stage and as a
producer and songwriter, it’s fair to say
Ross Wilson is in it for the long haul.
The founder and front man of iconic
Aussie bands Daddy Cool and Mondo
Rock has a solid touring schedule this
year, and despite an impressive four
decades in the industry, still manages
to keep it fresh, with each gig different
from the last.
“I stare at my empty calendar
wondering how I’m gonna provide
for my family, and then next thing you
know it starts to fill up with gigs,”
Ross says. “This year I have a variety
of shows to do that are keeping it
interesting: multi-act concerts, Mondo
Rock reunions, pubs and clubs and
festivals with my touring band The
Peaceniks. It’s time I cut a new album
too, which is really exciting. I want to
shake it up and try some new things.”
Ross’s most successful band, Daddy
Cool, emerged on the Australian
music scene in 1970, finding moderate
success playing outdoor rock festivals
across the country. But it was the
release of the crowd-pleasing hit Eagle
Rock in early 1971 that sealed the
band’s fate. By the end of that year,
Daddy Cool had set new sales records,
dominated the charts and become
the first Australian act to make a
real impact on the US touring circuit,
sharing the bill with the likes of Deep
Purple and Fleetwood Mac.
“That was a wild time,” Ross
remembers. “Playing colleges was great.
On the Deep Purple/Fleetwood Mac bill
the first gig was at Madison Square
Garden – were we nervous? You betcha,
but somehow we seemed to impress
even the Deep Purple metal crowd.
“On the last night with them we
played a college in Virginia, DC, but by
the time the Purples were due to come
on the PA system had broken down
and the band couldn’t play. The crowd
didn’t like that much, and suddenly
a bunch of students ran down the
aisle and stuffed a whole lot of cherry
bombs and bungers into the PA boxes
and blew them up – I was impressed.”
Concert audiences these days may
be more subdued, but that doesn’t
mean they don’t get fired up when
they hear the instantly recognisable
opening riff of Daddy Cool’s most
famous song. Does Ross ever tire of
playing Eagle Rock?
“Guess what? I love that song! It
was the foundation of my 44 years as
a professional entertainer, writer and
producer. I’ve been so fortunate to
beabletodowhatIdo,andIowe
it to that song. I still get a big kick
out of playing Eagle Rock and seeing
the punters go off. I never get sick of
playing it.”
Ross has also had considerable
success as a producer and songwriter,
from Skyhooks and Jo Jo Zep in
the ’70s through to The Screaming
Jets more recently. However, it’s the
onstage camaraderie with fellow
musicians that gets him excited,
and the likely reason he’s never
stopped performing.
“On stage is the place to be; you’re
riffing in the moment and bouncing
off what the other musos are doing,”
he explains. “Playing with good
musicians is wonderful. I’ve pretty
much stopped producing other acts
as I’m too busy, but if I discovered
someone that blew me away I’d
consider it. Songwriting is a more
solitary affair, but quite fulfilling when
you come up with something good. I
can’t write on the road so I have to
carve out time to do it.”
This August, Ross will be making
his way to Queensland to perform at
the Gympie Music Muster, and it’s a
highlight on that busy calendar.
“This will be my third time at
Gympie, and I love it. The Muster’s
location couldn’t be better; all those
big trees and plenty of other acts for
us to catch live,” he says.
Ross promises the Gympie crowd
some “rootsy guitar songs” mixed
with sing-along Daddy Cool and
Mondo Rock classics.
“The big stages and big crowds
at festivals really fire me up. You’ve
only got about an hour to deliver
something memorable, so the pressure
is on. My mission is to get everyone up
and dancing and singing along.”
Tickets to Australia’s favourite
family friendly camping and music
festival, the Gympie Music Muster,
held August 27-30, are on sale now at
www.muster.com.au. 